Front-fender brace



March 24, 1925.

T. E, ROGERS FRONT FENDER BRACE Filed June 5, 1924 gwwzhtop KW lmm Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT o ricE.

THEODORE E. ROGERS, O15 ZAP, NORTH DAKOTA.

FRONT-FENDER, mason.v

Applicationfiled June 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, THEODORE E. Bosses, a citizen of the United States, residing at Zap, in the county of Mercer and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new-- part rigidity to the mounting of the head lights, and which will tend to prevent spreaollng of the frame bars of the chassis at the forward end thereof and consequently,

overcome injury to the radiator now brought about by said cause.

And the invention further seeks to provide a'braoewhich may be applied without the necessity for any structural change whatever in the vehicle.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a conventional Ford vehicle equipped with my improved brace, one of the front fender aprons being partially broken away and illustrated in section, and

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the brace links employed.

As is well known, the front fenders of aFord vehicle very often sag while the front fender brackets not infrequently become loose with resultant rattling. The present invention, therefore, seeks to provide a slim ple and eiiicient device to overcome these troubles as well as a device which will serve to prevent vibration of the headlights of the vehicle and also brace the frame of the vehicle chassis at its forward end so that the frame bars will be prevented from spreading under the weight of the engine with consequent injury to the engine radiator. In Figure 1 of the drawing, I have shown my improved device in connection with a conventional Ford vehicle wherein the front fenders are indicated at 10, the fender brackets at 11, and the headlights 1924. Serial No. 718,070.

and their supporting posts at 12 and 13 respectively. As is wellknown, the brackets 11 are riveted at their lower ends to the side bars of the vehicle chassis and are provided near their lower extremities with eyes 14: which receive reduced studs lo at the lower ends of the posts 13 and screwed upon said studs are nuts 16 connecting the posts with the brackets.

Coming now more particularly to the subject of the present invention, I employ a pair of anchoring links 17. These links are each preferably formed from a length of suitable resilient material. such, for instance, as a steel rod which is flattened at one end to form a terminal lug 18 and bent at its opposite end to provide-a rearwardly directed loop or sleeve .19, while near the lug 18, the rod is further bent to define a forwardly directed eye 20. In applying the outer ends of the brackets 11, when the loops 19 are slipped over the brackets and the links moved downwardly along the brackets to the approximate position shown in Figure 1, the fenders vbeing subsequently, of course, again secured tothe brackets. The nuts 16 are then removed, when the lugs 18 of the links are slipped over the studs 15 and the nuts applied and tightened forv rigidly connecting the links at their lower ends with the posts13 of the headlights. s

In conjunction with the links 17, I employ a cross rod 21 which is slipped through the eyes 20 of the links, and screwed upon the rod to abut the eyes at their inner sides are nuts 22 while similar nuts 23 are screwed upon the rod to abut the eyesat their outer sides. Thus, as will be seen, by loosening the nuts 22, the nuts 23 may be adjusted for drawing the links toward each other and exerting an upward strain on the brackets 11 and, if necessary, swinging the brackets upwardly and lifting the fenders, when the nuts 22 may be tightened for se curing the parts in adjusted position. The loops 19 of the links are, of course, provided to accommodate movement of the outer ends of thelinks along the brackets 11 when the brackets are thus swung upwardly and, as will be appreciated, after the bracehas been tightened, said brace will serve to reinforce and supportthe fender brackets under the weight of the fenders and not only prevent sagging of the fenders but also prevent vi links, the fenders are detached from the bration thereof as well as vibration of the fender brackets. Furthermore, the brace will also overcome any prior looseness in the mounting of the posts 13 and will hold the posts rigid to prevent vibration of the headlights as well as tend to prevent spread ing of the frame bars of the vehicle chassis at their forward ends and consequently avoid injury to the engine radiator from such cause. Near its ends, the cross rod is offset so that, in applyingthe device to different vehicles, the rod may, after having been initially inserted through the eyes 20 of the links, be rotatably positioned to coinpensate for variation in the distance between the lower margins of the fender aprons and the brackets 11 so that the rod may not interfere with the fenders, the starting crank or any part of the car.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: i I i l. The combination with a motor vehicle having front fender brackets, and headlight supporting posts mounted on said brackets, of means slidably engaged at their upper ends with the brackets and fixed thereto at their lower ends by said posts, and a cross rod extending between. said means supporting the brackets against downward stress.

2. The combination with a motor vehicle having front fender brackets, and head light supporting posts mounted on said brackets, of a pair of links slidably engaged at their upper ends with the brackets and secured at their lower ends to said posts, and a cross rod extending between the links ets,

with eyes, a cross rod to extend between the and engaged with. the links at points be tween the ends thereof. I

3. The combination with a motor vehicle having front fender brackets, and head light supporting posts mounted on said brackets, of a pair of links slidably engaged at their upper ends with the brackets and secured at their lower ends to said posts, the links being provided medially with eyes, and a cross rod extending through said eyes connecting the links with each other and supporting the brackets against downward stress.

l. The combination with a motor vehicle having front fender brackets, and headlight supporting posts mounted on said brackets, of a pair of links provided at their upper ends with loops slidably receiving the brackets therethrough and at their lower ends with lugs secured upon the lower ends of said posts, the brackets being provided medially with eyes, and across rod engaged with said eyes connecting the links witheach other.

5. A front fender brace for motor vehicles including a pair of links provided at their upper ends with loops to receive fender brackets therethrough and at their lower ends with apertured lugs for engagement with headlight posts carried by said brackthe links being formed medially links through said eyes, and means upon the rod connecting the rod with said links.

In testimony, whereof I affix my signature.

THEODORE E. ROGERS' [L.s.] 

